


OtaYuri Week

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, OtaYuri Week, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9838085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: 7 days of DJ Altin and his bf(f) the Ice Tiger of Russia.Day 1:First Times(first time holding hands)Day 2:Social Media(Yuri posts a picture of a cat)Day 3:Future(Viktor and Yuuri's wedding gets Yuri thinking)Day 4:Domestic/Intimacy(5 times Yuri doesn't realise how ridiculous he is + 1 time he does)Day 5:Fears & Encouragement(Yuri Plisetsky's Grand Prix Final of Tears)Day 6:Rivalry & Pair Skating(Otabek thinks pair skating sounds fun, Yuri doesn't)Day 7:Fantasy(AU. Otabek has a sword and Yuri is so cool he doesn't even need one)





	1. Day 1

Otabek appreciated his fans. It was nice to know that wherever he was competing, there were people out there cheering him on. Of course, there were always those fans who went a bit overboard (at 19, Otabek had already turned down three offers of marriage), but they were few and far between. Then, there were Yuri’s Angels, a group which seemed to attract people who seriously needed to _chill_. It seemed like most of them were struggling with the fact that Yuri was an actual person. Otabek didn’t know how else to explain the fact that a group of Angels was chasing him and Yuri down a snowy street, ignoring the fact that Yuri clearly wanted to be left alone.

It was the third time in as many competitions that Otabek had helped Yuri escape from his fans. Otabek had thought that on such a cold day, he and Yuri could go out without running into too many people. Clearly he had underestimated the determination of Yuri’s Angels.

They had made it to the restaurant Phichit had suggested when they were spotted. There was a group of about twenty people, all wearing cat ear headbands and leopard print scarves. They seemed to move as one, all turning to face Yuri.

In that moment, Otabek and Yuri had several choices. They could ignore the crowd and hurry into the restaurant, hoping not too many fans would follow them in. Yuri could give in and spend the next two hours taking photos and signing things. They could run.

Without giving it much thought, Otabek reached out and grabbed Yuri’s hand.

They ran.

Neither of them knew the city very well, but Otabek had been there once before, so he led the way. Yuri was silent as he allowed himself to be pulled in a winding path up and down side streets. He stuck close to Otabek, making no moves to free his hand or change the direction they were going.

They didn’t have the advantage of a motorbike this time, but they were both professional athletes while Yuri’s fans were definitely not. In a short time, the group of Angels was left far behind. So too were their hotel and the restaurant they had planned to eat at.

The street they stopped on didn’t seem to have much to offer. Otabek was warm from running, but he could feel Yuri trying not to shiver. It was at that point that he realised that he could feel Yuri shivering because they were holding hands.  

He’d spent more time than he’d care to admit thinking about holding Yuri’s hand. Not once did he think the first time it happened would be when they were running away from fans. Right now, though, he needed to be thinking less about holding Yuri’s hand and more about getting Yuri someplace warm.

Spotting a café slightly further down the street, Otabek motioned to it.

“Want to get inside?”

Yuri nodded.

Now, as they walked, it wasn’t Otabek leading Yuri along. They were walking side by side, hands swinging slightly between them. Otabek couldn’t help but think about how nice it felt.

“Much better,” Yuri murmured as the door to the café swung shut behind them.

Now that they were inside, Otabek loosened his grip on Yuri’s hand, allowing Yuri to pull away. Instead, Yuri’s grip tightened and he was the one to lead Otabek to the counter to place their orders. Yuri didn’t let go until they both had their drinks and were getting settled at a small table in the corner. Even then, neither of them seemed to want to let go. Their hands lingered near one another as they separated to sit on opposite sides of the small table.

As they sipped their drinks, they fell into easy conversation. They hadn’t been friends long, but they talked like they’d known each other for years.

Otabek listened to Yuri talk excitedly about his plans to do his own choreography next season. Even as they talked, Otabek couldn’t help but occasionally glance down at where Yuri’s hands were wrapped around his coffee cup. He wanted to hold Yuri’s hand again.

Yuri apparently noticed, because in the middle of discussing jump combinations he suddenly fell silent. The silence only lasted for a moment before Yuri said, in a voice that sounded far less confident than usual, “Stop making it weird, idiot. You can hold my hand if you want.”

Yuri reached a hand across the table, and Otabek gladly took it in his own, entwining their fingers. He gave Yuri a small smile. Yuri rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too.

“Anyway, I was thinking about a triple flip, triple toe loop combination.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otabek has been in love with Yuri for years. Someone help this boy.


	2. Day 2

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was practising css by making a yuri's angels site (like you do) and things just kind of spiralled out of control.   
> btw viktor's first text says happy birthday (it's not obvious but it's supposed to be yuri's 21st birthday)


	3. Day 3

It had been an absolutely crazy day. That shouldn’t be surprising. Of course Viktor and Yuuri’s wedding would be crazy. They were _Viktor and Yuuri_.

Yuri’s day had begun earlier than expected, with Yuuri barging into his room at the onsen at five in the morning, freaking the fuck out about the wedding. Why he chose to bother Yuri was a mystery. He wasn’t very good at comforting people, and he certainly had no advice to give a nervous groom. Luckily, a hug and a reminder that Viktor was disgustingly in love with him seemed to make Yuuri feel better. At least a little.

Things hadn’t calmed down after that. Everyone was running around making sure everything was absolutely perfect, and Yuri was constantly being roped into helping with whatever the current emergency was.

By the time the reception rolled around, everyone was done panicking. That didn’t mean Yuri got to rest. He swore he danced with every single guest at least once. Except for his date, who was the only person he actually wanted to dance with. It had still been pretty early in the evening when Otabek was stolen away to act as DJ for “just a little while.” That “just a little while” had turned into hours, and once it was no longer his wedding day, Yuri was going to punch Viktor.

It was nearly one in the morning before things started to wind down, and Otabek finally made his way back to Yuri. They stood on the dancefloor—some of the last people left—with their hands wound around each other’s waists. Yuri rested his head on Otabek’s chest, the steady sound of Otabek’s breathing making Yuri feel even sleepier. They weren’t even really dancing. Otabek had queued up some slow songs, and they were content to just gently rock side to side with the rhythm of the music.

They were mostly silent. Otabek probably assumed that Yuri was just too tired to be interested in conversation, and he was partially right. Yuri _was_ exhausted, but he was also thinking. It was kind of hard not to think about marriage when you were at a wedding, and Yuri had been wondering something for most of the day.

“Hey, Otabek,” Yuri murmured, “Do you think you’d like to get married?”

Yuri wasn’t looking at Otabek’s face, so he didn’t know what kind of reaction his question had elicited.

Otabek didn’t answer immediately, but he wasn’t silent long enough for Yuri to start worrying.

“Yeah. Some day.”

That was fair. Yuri wasn’t proposing or anything. They’d only been together for a couple of years, and despite what JJ seemed to think, 19 was too young to get married. It probably made sense for them to wait until they were both retired, like Yuuri and Viktor had.

“To me, right?” Yuri asked.

He felt more than heard Otabek laugh.

“Of course to you, Yura.”

“Good.”

Yuri thought the conversation was over, but after a moment Otabek spoke up again.

“I’ve always kind of thought I’d get married one day. Buy a nice house in Almaty. Have kids. Teach them to skate.”

Yuri didn’t know how to respond. He’d never thought about any of that. Kids, houses, where he would live. What he would do when he stopped skating competitively didn’t really concern him, because he hadn’t stopped yet and he didn’t plan on doing so any time soon.

Otabek seemed to take Yuri’s silence as a sign that he’d said too much.

“I didn’t mean—”

“I’ve never really thought about my future. Beyond skating.”

He felt a little stupid saying it, after being the one to bring up marriage. But it was true.

It was also true that while he hadn’t thought much about the details of his future, he knew that he really wanted to have a future with Otabek.

“I love you,” he added, hoping that Otabek understood what he was trying to say.

Otabek brought a hand up to Yuri’s chin, tilting it up so they were looking into each other’s eyes. Yuri had been having a hard time keeping his eyes open, but he made sure not to close them as Otabek looked down at him.

“We should probably get some sleep,” Otabek said.

Yuri glared at him. That was not what he was supposed to say.

Otabek realised his mistake.

“I love you, too.”

He gave Yuri a quick peck on the lips, then asked, “Now, bed?”

Yuri nodded, and let Otabek wrap an arm around his shoulder to support him as they walked out of the reception hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day three, I guess I can let them kiss


	4. Day 4

 (I)

Yuri Plisetsky does not forgive. Yuri Plisetsky does not forget. Yuri Plisetsky will tell anyone who will listen about the most terrifying experience of his young life. Otabek has heard the story a couple dozen times. The amount of swearing depends on what kind of mood Yuri’s in at the time. The highlights are that Yuri didn’t get to teach Yuuri how to make okroshka, and that he never sat on Viktor and Yuuri’s couch again.

Otabek thinks that Yuri is overreacting, and he isn’t all that surprised. That’s what Yuri does. Though, to be fair, he doesn’t think Yuri realises just how many times people (mostly Yuuri) have walked in on the two of them making out in places they probably shouldn’t be making out.

The horrified look on Yuuri’s face the first time it had happened made Otabek feel bad enough that he bought apology chocolates. And after Viktor found them kissing in a hotel elevator, Otabek felt the need to assure Viktor that his intentions were honourable.

Yuuri has never said anything, and he’s probably the reason Viktor has never brought it up either. Otabek is eternally grateful. He can just imagine Yuri’s new favourite story about how two idiots who think they’re his parents won’t leave him and his boyfriend alone.

 

(II)

Every year in August Otabek and Yuri spend a couple of weeks in Japan. Yuri is long past pretending he doesn’t enjoy spending time with Yuuri and Viktor. He still spends a fair amount of time complaining about them, though. Otabek has learned to just let him vent.

“They’re ridiculous! They were all over each other!” are the first words out of Yuri’s mouth once he and Otabek are alone.

They’d gone out for dinner with Viktor and Yuuri and, yes, they were as free with the PDA as ever. But really, Otabek thinks, Yuri isn’t in a position to be complaining. Not after he insisted on feeding Otabek most of the disturbingly chocolatey dessert he ordered, because it was “some seriously good shit.” And when he’d completely missed Otabek’s mouth with one forkful, he had just leaned over and licked the chocolate sauce off of Otabek’s cheek. Otabek found it adorable, but he’s pretty sure he’s in the minority there.

“Everyone can see those stupid rings. Everyone already knows they’re gross and married, they don’t need to prove it!”

Otabek nods and doesn’t ask Yuri if maybe he’d like a ring.

 

(III)

“My entire Instagram feed is just pictures of that stupid kid!” Yuri complains.

Otabek feels like if he had a kid, he wouldn’t spend quite so much time taking pictures, but Viktor has always been pretty into SNS. Given how often he posts pictures of their cats, Otabek thinks Yuri would be just as bad if they ever had children.

“You love ‘that stupid kid,’” Otabek reminds Yuri.

There’s proof in the form of a giant pile of boxes in the corner of the living room. They’re all presents to send to Japan. Yuri has been shopping since before the adoption was even finalised. It’s very possible that Yuuri and Viktor will never need to buy their daughter a single toy or outfit. The boring things like food and diapers, though, Yuri has left to the parents to buy.

“Doesn’t mean I want to look at 500 pictures of her just lying there.”

“You know you don’t have to look at every picture they post.”

Yuri seems like he’s ready to offer several reasons why he really does need to see all the pictures. But he’s distracted by something on his phone and instead he says, “Oh, she has the elephant we gave her! I knew she’d love it.” 

Otabek takes a look at the picture. The stuffed elephant is just visible in the corner of a picture of a sleeping baby. Still, Yuri is very pleased with the appearance of the elephant. He doesn’t complain about Instagram again until later that night when he sees that Yuuko had the audacity to post a picture of the beach when she could have been taking pictures of a baby.

 

(IV)

Yuri refuses to tell Otabek what his theme for the season will be. So Otabek gets to find out along with everyone else at the press conference. He’s snagged a seat near the back of the room where he can see and hear but he’s not in the way of the actual members of the press.

The first thing to come up is the rumour that this season will be Yuri’s last. A number of people seem surprised when Yuri confirms that this is it. Otabek finds their surprise amusing. Yuri will be thirty by the time the season ends, and he’s already smashed every record Viktor Nikiforov ever set. Even Yuri Plisetsky has to retire eventually.

It’s Otabek’s turn to be surprised when the time comes for Yuri to discuss his theme.

“For my senior debut, my short program was _In Regards to Love: Agape._ Since this is my last season, I thought I would revisit that. My theme this season is ‘love.’”

Yuri pauses for a moment, probably because he was reminded not to go too fast. It’s clear he has more to say on the subject.

“I was fifteen then and I didn’t really get ‘agape.’ But over the years I’ve learned a lot about love, and I hope you’ll be able to see that in my skating.”

Yuri looks down at his hands, and Otabek knows what’s coming. He just can’t quite believe it.

“I want to thank everyone for all their love and support over the years. I especially want to thank my fiancé, Otabek Altin, who taught me more about love than anyone else.”

Yuri holds up his right hand so everyone can see the ring there.

No one seems to know what to say after that, until one brave reporter shouts out “excuse me, did you say fiancé?”

Yuri nods, and Otabek doesn’t know what happens after that because he is dying. At least he’s in the back of the room and all eyes are on Yuri, not him.

He had been planning on calling his parents that evening. Now he definitely has to call. At least Yuri’s grandfather already knows, so that’s one reaction he doesn’t need to worry about.

Hopefully, Yuri doesn’t have any thrilling plans for the rest of the day, because it looks like it’s going to be a long day of explaining to friends and family why exactly they had to find out about the engagement on twitter.

 

(V)

When Yuri asks if Otabek can help with his exhibition skate, Otabek is momentarily worried. No matter how much he loves Yuri, he is absolutely not doing a pair skate.

Yuri laughs at him when he brings up his concerns.

“You really think I want to copy those idiots?”

Otabek doesn’t know how to answer. Sometimes he’s convinced that Yuri gets his romantic advice from the Katsuki-Nikiforovs.

“I want to choreograph it together.”

They’ve provided input on each other’s programs in the past, but this is new. It’s a nice idea.

It seems like less of a nice idea once they get to work. It’s like some sick, twisted pre-marriage trial they have to go through to make sure they’re really, really ready.

They’ve always had different styles when it comes to skating, but it’s never been an issue before. Now it is definitely a problem. With so many points they disagree on, the choreographing goes slower than expected.

When they finally finish, Otabek worries that it looks too much like two totally different people choreographed it.

“That’s because that’s what happened,” Yuri says, “Anyway, I like it.”

Watching Yuri practice, it starts to grow on Otabek. He likes that it’s something that they did together.

And it’s a lot subtler than a pair skate in matching outfits.

 

(VI)

Yuri has just gone out to mail a couple of parcels, so Otabek is surprised when his phone rings and he sees that it’s Yuri.

“Everything okay?” he asks. He’s pretty sure nothing too awful could have happened in the ten minutes Yuri has been gone.

“No! We’re almost as bad as them!”

Otabek doesn’t get a chance to ask what this is all about before he hears the doorbell and Yuri says “hold on, open the door.”

Otabek opens the door to a very upset looking Yuri. As Yuri throws off his jacket and scarf, Otabek picks up the conversation where they left off.

“What are you talking about?”

“How disgusting and domestic and just really fucking in love we are.”

Well, that answers Otabek’s question about who “them” is referring to. Even after all these years, Otabek is still kind of confused by Yuri’s relationship with Viktor and Yuuri. He’s given up trying to understand.

He’s also a bit confused about why it sounds like Yuri has just realised they love each other.

“Yura, we’re married.”

Yuri glares at him.

“I know that, you ass. But I’ve been mocking Viktor Nikiforov about how fucking over the top he is for half of my damn life, but I’m just as ridiculous.”

Otabek starts to tell him that he’s overreacting and that he is not ridiculous, but Yuri doesn’t let him get past the first word.

“You know what I just did? Someone in the post office asked if I was Yuri Plisetsky and I told them ‘no, I’m Yuri Altin-Plisetsky.’”

“That’s sweet—”

“It’s not sweet, it’s crazy. I shoved my ring in this poor guy’s face!”

Otabek still thinks it’s sweet, but he’s not going to argue about it.  

“Will a bad movie and baursak make you feel better?” he asks.

Yuri nods and doesn’t complain about the fact that cuddling up on the couch with their cats and watching stupid movies is something people who are disgustingly domestic and really in love do.


	5. Day 5

A HOTEL ROOM IN BEIJING, THE NIGHT BEFORE THE 2020 GPF MEN’S SINGLES SHORT PROGRAM

_The room is dark except for a bedside lamp and the light from the bathroom. It’s a mid-sized room with two beds, a desk, a television, and a small refrigerator. YURI stands in the bathroom, adjusting his hair. OTABEK sits on the foot of one of the beds, his head down and resting in his hands._

YURI: _(he turns off the bathroom light and makes his way over to the bed where OTABEK is sitting)_ I thought you were already in bed.

OTABEK: _(he looks up at YURI)_ I was waiting for you.

YURI: Well, here I am. _(he gestures toward the other bed)_ Are we doing together or separate tonight?

OTABEK: Either is fine. _(pause)_ Yuri, I need to talk to you about something.

YURI: _(he sits down next to OTABEK on the bed)_ Okay.

OTABEK: This is going to be my last competition.

YURI: _(quietly)_ What?

OTABEK: After the final, I’m retiring. _(he tries to place a hand over YURI’s but YURI moves his hand away)_

YURI: No.

OTABEK: Yuri—

YURI: _(louder)_ No! _(he stands up and begins to pace)_ This is so fucking stupid! You’re only twenty-three. You can’t just retire!

OTABEK: I don’t want to—

YURI: _(practically screaming)_ Then why the fuck are you!?

OTABEK: _(quietly)_ My knee.

YURI: _(back to a normal volume)_ Your…knee?

OTABEK: I messed it up. I can only do so many more jumps before…well.

_(YURI stares silently at OTABEK)_

Yuri?

YURI: I’m going to bed. _(he turns his back on OTABEK and gets into the other bed)_

_(It is silent except for the quiet sobs coming from YURI. After hesitating for a moment, OTABEK stands up and walks over to the bed YURI is in. He hesitates again before pulling the blankets aside and getting in bed beside YURI.)_

OTABEK: Yuri, please just talk to me.

YURI: _(he is crying and his words are muffled)_ Don’t leave me.

OTABEK: _(softly)_ I’m right here.

YURI: You know what I mean!

OTABEK: I’m not going to leave you.

YURI: _(angrily)_ Don’t fucking lie to me! You’re going to go back to Almaty and I’m never going to see you again.

OTABEK: _(he sighs)_ You’re ridiculous sometimes.

YURI: Yeah, well you’re a fucking asshole sometimes.

OTABEK: I am going back to Almaty—

YURI: See.

OTABEK: —because that’s where my apartment is. But I’m also going to visit you in St. Petersburg. And go to every single one of your competitions to cheer you on.

YURI: _(he’s crying harder now, but he’s quieter and calmer)_ I don’t want you to have to retire.

OTABEK: I know.

YURI: I love skating with you.

OTABEK: I love it too.

YURI: _(there’s a long pause before he speaks)_ I’m sorry.

OTABEK: It’s going to be alright, Yuri. _(pause)_ Should I sleep in the other bed?

YURI: _(he laughs but it sounds sad)_ I thought I made it pretty clear that I want you to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ridiculous and would never happen, but I wanted to be dramatic... I've never done this format before and my guide was a collection of Agatha Christie plays. Basically, I'm sorry (I'd especially like to apologise to Otabek who did nothing wrong and didn't deserve this).
> 
> ALSO please consider Yuri doing his exhibition skate to Wonder Girls The DJ is Mine. Otabek would die. Like, Welcome to the Madness was probably quite an experience so I totally think Yuri would do this.


	6. Day 6

Their interactions before competitions may be all “davai”s and supportive words, but Otabek Altin and Yuri Plisetsky are still competitors. They constantly push each other to work harder, to give their absolute best performance. Even when they aren’t competing at the same events, they still find motivation in each other’s performances.

When they _are_ competing against each other, there’s even more at stake. At some point they’d decided that whoever placed higher got to decide how to celebrate once the competition was over. For the most part it just meant that the winner got to decide what restaurant they would eat at. There are no explicit limits about what type of celebration they can choose, but they both seem content with keeping it simple.

Until Otabek wins gold at Skate America. Yuri, only 1.59 points behind, gets silver but that doesn’t matter. What they do is still up to Otabek. Yuri reminds him that he’s too young to drink in America, so going to a bar isn’t an option. Otabek informs him that it doesn’t matter.

“I want to try pair skating,” he says simply, like it isn’t one of the most ridiculous things he could have suggested.

Pair skating was for people who actually trained and competed in pair skating. And, apparently, idiots like Viktor and Yuuri.

“No.”

The gold medal is still hanging around Otabek’s neck, so he lifts it up, presenting it to Yuri as if to say “yes.”

Yuri sighs. He can’t believe Otabek. He can’t believe that he’s going to _pair skate_.

“I suppose you’ll be the one lifting me?” he says, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.

Otabek smirks. It’s annoying.

“If you want.”

***

They end up at an outdoor rink not far from the hotel they’re staying at. There are a few people skating around the edge of the rink, but it’s pretty empty.

They skate out to the middle of the rink, and Otabek pulls out his phone. Soon Yuri hears the opening chords of the song for his short program this season.

“Why do you even have that?” he asks.

Otabek shrugs.

“It’s a nice song.”

Otabek keeps his phone in his hand so he doesn’t muffle the sound. It’s not ideal for skating, but it will have to do. He moves into the starting position for Yuri’s routine. It takes Yuri a moment to figure out where he should position himself relative to Otabek, but he does the same.

They run through the routine, skating side by side and fortunately managing to avoid banging into each other. Yuri is impressed. Obviously he’d be good at the routine. It’s _his_. Otabek makes a few minor mistakes, but as far as Yuri can tell, it still looks really nice.

“That was fun,” Yuri admits. “It’s kind of like two-person synchronized skating.”

Otabek could be a dick about how Yuri was so opposed to trying, but he isn’t. There’s a reason he’s Yuri’s best friend.

“I’m glad,” is all he says, and Yuri can tell he means it.

“Hey, if you have my short program song, you must have yours. Wanna try?”

Otabek nods and a moment later his short program song is playing.

***

A couple hours later they leave the ice and head back to the hotel they’re both staying at. They’re staying on the same floor, so they find themselves saying goodnight in the hall between their rooms.

“Don’t get used to this. Next time I’m going to destroy you,” is the last thing Yuri says. Otabek gives him and thumbs up and a smile before turning away and disappearing into his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe when he's with his friends in Kazakhstan Otabek is a Cool Kid but when he's with Yuri he is definitely not.


	7. Day 7

Being a blacksmith is fine. It’s a decent job and Otabek is good at it. He’s set up shop in a small village and he likes it there, even if it gets a little boring. He has enough customers that he earns a decent living, but it’s not enough to keep him busy. Weeks go by without anyone coming by with something for him to work on.

There’s only so much to do around the house and the village doesn’t have much to offer in terms of entertainment. So, Otabek spends a lot of time walking. There’s a nice forest not too far from his house which he likes to visit. He’s been warned several times not to go too far in, so he makes sure to stay along the edge where he can still see the village through the trees. In all his visits to the forest, Otabek has never seen any of the creatures he’s been warned about. He doubts there’s anything scarier than some bears, doesn’t take any chances and he makes sure he always has his sword with him.

The day he finally does see something, it’s not anything he’s been warned about and it’s also not actually in the forest. On the edge of the forest, huge and impossible to miss, is a dragon.

Otabek has never seen a dragon before. He didn’t think they came this far south. Apparently they do.

It has to be at least four metres long, four and a half if you include the spikes protruding from its head. The red of its scales is disturbingly like the colour of dried blood.

Otabek’s first instinct is to run back to the village and warn everyone. There must be someone there who knows how to deal with a dragon. But that’s before he sees what the dragon is holding.

Gripped tight in its claws is a person.

Instead of running, Otabek inches closer. He’s apparently not silent enough because while the dragon does not turn to look at him, the person—it looks like a young man—does.

“I need you to leave,” is all he says. He sounds far calmer than one would expect from someone being held captive by a dragon. Otabek wonders if dragons produce some kind of toxin that acts on the mind of their prey.

“What? Why?” Otabek asks, despite the fact that it’s incredibly stupid to be having this conversation while there’s a dragon _right there_.

“You can’t save me.”

Sure Otabek only has a sword, and it’s a fucking dragon, but he can try. He’s going to try.

“I can try,” he insists.

Otabek isn’t quite close enough to make out the expression on the other man’s face, but from his tone of voice it’s clear that he’s annoyed. Which is ridiculous, because Otabek is just trying to help.

“I’m serious. You need to leave.”

He smiles then, and it is not the smile of someone who could be killed by a dragon at any moment.

“The show’s about to begin.”

Before Otabek gets a chance to ask what the hell is going on, he hears the clatter of what must be at least a dozen horses and backs away into the trees as a group of men rides up. He spots the flag being held by one of the men at the back of the group and identifies the group as Sir Georgi and his retinue. It seems strange that they should be in such an out of the way place, but if Georgi is able to deal with the dragon, Otabek isn’t going to complain.

Now that more people have arrived, the dragon seems much more active and much angrier. With the clawed hand that isn’t holding its captive the dragon begins to swipe at the horses closest to it, barely missing them each time.

The dragon isn’t the only one who’s more active. The dragon’s captive has started to act like a dragon’s captive. He’s screaming and yelling, mostly things like “help!” and “please, save me!”

The whole thing is really strange to watch. Everyone but Georgi has pulled back, out of the way but ready to jump in and help if they need to. It seems very unlikely that they’ll need to, though, because the whole thing looks more like a dance than a battle. The dragon swipes, Georgi steps out of the way and then slices and stabs at the dragon with his sword. They repeat the same pattern again and again.

Then, finally, the dragon stops slashing at Georgi and falls to the earth. There’s a great cheer from his men and even more cheering from somewhere out of Otabek’s sight. He hadn’t realised there were spectators, but it does make sense that they would keep far back from the battle.

Georgi runs forward to help the captive wiggle his way out of the dragon’s grasp. Otabek watches the two of them talk for a moment, but he’s too far away to hear anything. Then Georgi turns around, walks back to his horse, gets on, and motions for the rest of his group to follow him as he begins to ride away. Otabek may not know much about dragon killing etiquette but he feels like you shouldn’t just ride away, leaving the person you just rescued with nothing but a dragon’s bloody corpse for company.

Things get even stranger once Georgi and his men are out of sight. The blood, the dragon, and all other traces of the battle disappear. Warily, Otabek moves out of his spot among the trees and moves over to where the dragon was only a moment ago. Everything else has vanished, but the recently rescued man is still where Georgi had left him. As Otabek gets closer, he notes that the man looks completely exhausted. All the other questions he wants to ask are pushed to the back of his mind.

“Are you okay?” Otabek asks.

It’s then that the other man notices him. He seems to a jump a little but quickly hides his surprise.

“You’re still here?”

Otabek moves closer. If he isn’t going to get an answer out of the man he can at least check for visible wounds.

He doesn’t notice any wounds. What he does notice are the man’s eyes. He isn’t particularly large and he certainly doesn’t look physically strong, but there’s something in those shining green eyes of his that makes Otabek think this man has more strength than most people could even imagine. He has to force himself to look away.

“Are you okay?” Otabek repeats.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just not used to doing something as big as a dragon. I’ll be fine in a—”

He stumbles a little, looking very much like he’s about to pass out. And then, he does. Otabek is barely able to catch the man before he falls to the ground.

The man is fairly light and Otabek’s house isn’t too far, so after a moment of consideration he decides to take him home. The man’s still completely out when they arrive home, so Otabek sets him down on the bed as gently as possible and hopes that whatever is wrong is something that can be slept off.

Otabek ends up pulling a chair over to the side of the bed and sleeping there so he’ll be nearby when his strange guest wakes up.

***

Otabek wakes up to someone yelling at him and it takes him a moment to remember why there’s even someone else in his house.

“Where the fuck am I?”

Otabek is still half asleep but at least he knows the answer to that one.

“Uh, my house.”

The man is standing over Otabek. He’s really close now and he’s still yelling.

“Great. And who exactly are you?”

“Otabek Altin.” He extends his hand but it’s ignored. “I, uh, I carried you here after you passed out.”

“Oh. Thanks, I guess,” he says, his voice much quiter.  

It’s not the sincerest thank you Otabek has ever received, but the man has stopped shouting, so he’ll take it.

“What about you?” Otabek asks. “What’s your name?”

“Yuri.”

Otabek waits to see if he’s going to offer up any more information, but it doesn’t seem like it. He figures further questioning can wait until they’ve both eaten.

“Okay Yuri. Would you like some breakfast?”

Yuri’s answer is a very enthusiastic “yes.”

***

Yuri is much more willing to talk once he’s had something to eat.

“It’s my job,” he says when Otabek asks him about what happened with the dragon.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s been too peaceful. All these people feel like they need to prove themselves. Georgi wanted to impress some princess, I think.”  Yuri shrugs. “He must really like her if he paid for a dragon.”

“So, that was all you? The dragon, everything, was _you_?”

“Impressed?” Yuri asks with a smirk.

Otabek doesn’t see any point in lying. It really is amazing.

“Very,” he says.

Yuri seems a little taken aback by Otabek’s honesty, if the blush creeping over his face is any indication. Surely Otabek can’t be the first person to tell Yuri how impressive what he can do is. Yuri’s probably just a bit off because he’s still recovering.   

***

There wasn’t anything seriously wrong with Yuri to begin with and he recovers quickly. He can go whenever he wants, but neither of them talks about him leaving.

When it becomes clear that Yuri is staying another night, Otabek insists that Yuri takes the bed again. Yuri demands that Otabek gathers all his extra pillows and blankets, and then he makes a fairly decent bed on the floor so Otabek doesn’t have to sleep in the chair again.

Life is different with Yuri around. It’s a good different.

They talk about everything from what’s happening in the village to the best stew recipes to the strangest requests Yuri has ever had from customers. When Otabek has things to work on Yuri follows him into the shop and asks all kinds of questions that Otabek is more than happy to answer. Yuri joins Otabek on his walks and, though he never bothered with them before, Otabek finds himself stopping to collect flowers for the perpetually empty vase on the kitchen table. After a while Yuri starts holding Otabek’s hand while they walk because he says he’s getting tired of Otabek running off every time he sees a flower. And when one night Yuri mentions that Otabek’s bed is probably big enough for two people, Otabek is inclined to agree. 

Otabek is happy. Happier than he has been in a long time. He thinks Yuri is happy too.

Then, one day Otabek wakes up and Yuri isn’t there.

Otabek feels like an idiot. Of course this was going to happen. Yuri had a whole life before he met Otabek, and he needed to get back to it. But after living together for almost a month Otabek thinks he at least deserved a goodbye.

He reminds himself that he also had a life before he met Yuri. He tries to go back to that life, and for all intents and purposes he does. But when he goes for walks he still finds himself picking flowers and hoping that he’ll be lucky enough to come across Yuri again.

***

Otabek half expects that when he finds Yuri he will also find another dragon. He doesn’t expect to find Yuri standing alone in the middle of a field not far from the village.

“Yuri!” Otabek shouts as soon as he sees Yuri.  

Yuri turns around and Otabek is close enough to see his eyes widen in shock.

“Otabek?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Now really isn’t a good time,” Yuri says, turning his back on Otabek.

Otabek stops a couple of metres away from Yuri. He doesn’t want to get upset. He just wants to know why Yuri left. He just needs Yuri to talk to him.

“Yuri, you just left! I was so worried!”

“What part of not a good time don’t you understand?” Yuri demands. “In case you didn’t notice, these children are about to be attacked by a hungry lion, so if we could do this later...”

“Wait, what?”

Some of the best conversations Otabek has ever had have been with Yuri. So have some of the most confusing conversations.

“Later? They’re going to be here any minute.”

 “I—”

Otabek falls silent when he notices a number of people on horseback approaching.

“Shit. Too late,” Yuri curses under his breath. He turns to Otabek. “I need you to get behind me and _stay_ behind me.”

Otabek has no idea what is going on, but Yuri sounds serious, so he does as he was told.

A moment later the group has arrived, and they’re all dismounting. The person up front starts yelling out orders.

“You! Get those children to safety! The rest of you, surround the beast!”

A couple of people walk off toward the village, while the rest form a half-circle around Yuri.

Otabek knows this is another one of Yuri’s illusory battles. He knows there are children and a lion, but he can’t actually see them. He momentarily wonders if it’s because of his position behind Yuri, but he hadn’t seen anything earlier either.    

It’s bizarre to watch. The person who had been yelling orders has moved forward and she’s presumably battling the lion, but to Otabek it looks like she’s waving her sword at nothing.

The nothing she’s slicing at is getting dangerously close to Yuri. She brings her sword back and Otabek knows that this next blow is going to hit Yuri. In an instant his sword is out and he’s between the woman and Yuri. Otabek is surprised by the force of the blow, but he manages to block it with his sword.

The woman looks incredibly confused. Otabek doesn’t know what exactly she can see, but he figures either a sword suddenly came out of a lion or she hit metal when she expected to hit nothing. The confusion is understandable. She hesitates for a moment, then goes on with the battle.

Yuri looks at Otabek for a moment, then quickly looks away. Otabek moves back behind Yuri, but he keeps his sword at the ready in case he needs to jump in again.

The battle doesn’t last much longer after that. Otabek wonders if Yuri decided to speed things along after his intervention.

The moment everyone else is out of sight, Yuri turns all his attention to Otabek.

“What the hell was that?” Yuri demands. He sounds angry and Otabek doesn’t understand why.

“She was swinging her sword like crazy. It almost hit you!”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, did you want to be sliced in half by a sword? Was that what you were going for?”

Yuri doesn’t respond right away, and Otabek worries that in his anger he’s said something he shouldn’t have.

“You…saw me,” he eventually says. It’s somewhere between a question and a statement, like Yuri knows it’s true but he’s having a hard time believing it.  

“Yes?”

Was he not supposed to see Yuri?

“But not the lion?”

“Yes.”

“I need to go.” Yuri looks and sounds panicked.

Yuri turns to leave, and part of Otabek wants to grab him and make him stay and talk, but he knows he can’t do that.

“Yuri, please.” Even to his own ears, he sounds pathetic. Maybe Yuri will take pity on him and stay.

“I’ll come by your place later, okay. Just let me go.”

Otabek doesn’t do anything to stop Yuri, just watches him walk away. He stands there in the field long after Yuri is gone. It isn’t until the sun starts to set that Otabek makes his way home. That night he makes Yuri’s favourite meat pie, just in case he actually shows up.

***

It’s nearing midnight when there’s a knock on the door.

Otabek knows before he opens the door that it’s Yuri. It’s too late for anyone else.

He greets Yuri with a weak smile and motions him inside. Yuri doesn’t even say hello before he launches into his story.

“When I was young, my grandfather told me about _agape_. He said it was the reason he could see through my illusions. He was the only one who could.”

Yuri had told Otabek that he used magic to create illusions, but he hadn’t gone into much more detail about how it actually worked.

“Is…is that what happened today? I saw through your illusions?”

Yuri nods.

“Agape?” Otabek asks, because he’s never heard the word before and right now it’s very important that he understands.

Yuri looks down, like he’s embarrassed by what he’s about to say.

“My grandfather said it was unconditional love. When you see someone for who they really are, and you love them for it.”

Love…

Love hasn’t been a big part of Otabek’s life. He doesn’t know what to say.

“Do you love me?” Yuri near-whispers.

Otabek knows the answer is yes. Of course he loves Yuri. But that’s not what he says.

“If I saw through your illusions, don’t you already know the answer?”

Yuri looks upset. It was a stupid thing for him to say, but Otabek is not going to mess this up. He reaches out, takes Yuri’s hands in his and looks into his eyes.

“I love you.”

Yuri smiles.

“Well that’s good because I love you too.”

The moment is nice, but it soon becomes apparent that neither of them knows what comes next.

“I made a meat pie,” Otabek offers, and in that moment sharing a meat pie with Yuri seems like the best way he could ever hope to spend a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we reach the end of OtaYuri week! Thank you for reading! I wish I'd had more time to fix up/expand on things, but I still had fun writing this junk.  
> I hope everyone had a fun week and enjoyed all the awesome new otayuri content~


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